One-pot synthesis of bismuth yttrium tungstate nanosheet decorated 3D-BiOBr nanoflower heterostructure with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity.

A visible light driven BiOBr/BixY1-xWO6 nanocomposite photocatalyst of various compositions are prepared by the addition of different amounts of KBr (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 mmol) in BixY1-xWO6 by a one-pot hydrothermal method. Furthermore, the photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared materials are analyzed by the decomposition of methylene blue under visible light illumination. In particular, the BiOBr/BixY1-xWO6 nanocomposite prepared by taking 1.5 mmol of KBr present a superior photocatalytic ability (78.3%) with the rate constant value 0.016 min-1, a low bandgap (Eg = 2.51 eV) as well as photoluminescence emission intensity than other photocatalysts prepared in this study. The radical scavenging studies revealed that OH and h+ performed an imperative role in the decomposition of methylene blue. Furthermore, the optimized photocatalyst is stable even after four cycles, which exposes the excellent photostability and reusability properties of the photocatalyst. In addition, a plausible mechanism of decomposition of methylene blue under visible light irradiation is also proposed.